Tending the Beginning
by Steph-Schell
Summary: "War is no place for children," he stated. "So I'm getting them out of it." Newest in the Tending series. Do I really need to warn for it at this point? You guys will flame me anyway. Alright, IMPLIED INCEST. (There's one tiny kiss)


"Where are you going?" Nora demanded.

"Look," Miles snapped. "I got you to your little freedom fighter group now I'm going my own way."

"You're just going to abandon us again?"

Miles continued to throw things into his pack. "How can I abandon a cause I never took up?"

Nora grabbed his shoulder. "What about Danny and Charlie?"

"I'm taking them with me."

"Are you serious?"

Miles finally stopped his frantic movements and turned to her. "War is no place for children," he stated. "So I'm getting them out of it."

"Are you crazy?"

"It's something I have to do."

"Why?"

Miles sighed. "Free Danny, find a farm," he murmured. It was like his damn mantra these days. Ever since Charlie shared that stupid dream with him, Miles had been determined to make it come true for her. Now they had freed Danny so it was time to find a nice farm and settle down.

Nora frowned. "What?"

"Free Danny, find a farm," he repeated louder. "And I'm sorry for this."

"For—"

Before Nora could finish her sentence, she was out cold on the floor. Miles grabbed his pack and hurried outside. Charlie and Danny were frantically filling up their own packs. "Time to go," he stated. He reached out to Charlie first. "Come on, up on your feet." He grabbed Danny's hand and helped the boy to stand. "Let's get moving."

"Where are we going?" Danny asked.

"Away from here," Miles stated. "And we need to do it quickly."

"What's the rush?" Danny frowned.

Miles gritted his teeth in irritation but Charlie rested her hand on his arm. What was it about Ben's kids being so mouthy? They really must have gotten it from Rachel. "Look, kid. The entire Munroe militia is probably after us right now. We are the three most wanted fugitives in the Republic. Besides that, war is coming. It is going to be long, bloody and the likelihood of all three of us surviving is very, very slim. Now if you want to live, you will follow me."

Danny went pale but nodded. "Tell us what to do," Charlie said, shouldering her pack.

"What we need right now is distance," Miles told them. He looked up at the sky. The moon was round and full. It would mean they wouldn't need to take a torch to light their way. Of course it also meant they could be easily spotted. He turned to Danny. "How's your asthma?"

"It's alright," Danny shrugged.

"We won't be running but we do need to move fast. If your chest starts to feel tight, let me know. We can't stop but we can slow down."

"How far are we going to push?"

"As far as we can." Miles began to walk quickly out of camp. The forest loomed in the distance. "Both of you need to stay within arm's length of me."

"Aye, aye," Charlie muttered, feeling that Miles was going into over protective mode again.

"Damn it, Charlie, I mean it," Miles snapped. "If I can't grab the two of you at a moment's notice you are too goddamn far away." He turned to her with blazing eyes. "Do you understand me?'

"Yes," she agreed meekly.

"Good. Let's go." Miles led the deep into the forest. They didn't stop once to rest. When the sun began climbing the sky again, Miles let them pause for the briefest of moments to gather breakfast. Then it was back to hiking at a quick pace that left Charlie and Danny stumbling behind their uncle. But even with the punishing pace Miles was always there to help them back to their feet.

Charlie was the first to stumble. Even on the road she was used to getting sleep once in a while. Danny was still doing alright. He had been too scared with the militia to really sleep properly. Miles noticed Charlie lagging and lifted her into his arms. "Miles?" she mumbled.

"I'll carry you," he murmured. "You rest."

Even with all the jostling, Charlie's body was so exhausted that she soon fell asleep with Miles' harsh breathing in her ears. After a few minutes Danny held his arms out. Miles frowned at him. "She's my sister, I'll carry her," Danny said.

Miles tried to brush him off. "I've got her, kid."

"That's the third time you've slipped since you started carrying Charlie. Besides, between the two of us, you're the better fighter. You need your hands free in case we run into trouble."

Miles handed Charlie off to her brother and kept pushing them forward. Around lunch time Charlie woke up again. Now it was Danny who was starting to stumble along. His continued tripping was actually what woke her. He set her down with a smile when she shook him. "You good to go?" Miles asked her.

"Let's keep moving," Charlie nodded.

They pushed along for another hour before Miles called a halt to get water and food. Before they got going again Danny was mostly asleep against a tree. Miles sighed but hoisted Danny into his arms this time. "Make me work muscles I barely have," he muttered.

"Miles, shouldn't we stop?" Charlie asked.

"I told you we need distance," Miles insisted. "But we'll rest soon. Once I'm sure we're out of danger."

Soon turned out to mean two days later. The entire time Miles carried whichever sibling needed their rest at the moment while taking no rest for himself. In fact, even when they stopped, Miles kept watch while Charlie and Danny slept on. The next day, Charlie tried to insist he rest. "I'm fine," Miles insisted.

"No, you're not," Charlie argued. "Miles, you can't keep going like this."

"I'm trying to protect the two of you. Isn't that what you wanted?"

"Not if it kills you in the process."

"Go rest, Charlie. I'll keep watch." With that, Miles stalked to the edge of their camp.

"Is he always like that?" Danny asked.

"He's not so bad," Charlie promised. "He just wants us to be safe." But even she could tell that something wasn't quite right with their uncle.

Miles would never speak of it, but he was having hallucinations. It had started two days ago. He had seen Ben just ahead of them, motioning them forward. Realistically, he knew it wasn't Ben. It was a hallucination brought on by no sleep and too much adrenaline. But Miles wanted to see his big brother again. To show Ben he really was protecting Danny and Charlie. (Although he wondered if sleeping with Charlie counted as protecting her but that was another point entirely).

Now Ben had started talking to him. Telling Miles where to go, if danger was ahead and how far it was to the next town. A rational man would realize that this was his delusions getting worse. Miles was rapidly spinning away from rational. He tried very hard to keep it together in front of Danny and Charlie but that was getting harder by the minute. Still, he would press on until they were out of harm's way.

Miles was trying to blink away sleep when he heard twigs cracking behind him. He whipped around to see Ben coming towards them. "Benjamin?" he frowned. "I thought you said it was safe here."

"It was," Ben told him. "But the militia is out doing patrols now. You need to wake the kids up and go."

"Benjamin, they've barely had any sleep. Let them rest."

"You can keep them moving or watch them die. Which is it, Miles?"

Miles cursed softly. He went to Charlie first. "Charlie," he whispered, shaking her. "Charlie, you need to wake up."

"Miles?" she murmured. "What's wrong?"

"We need to get out of here." He helped her to her feet and steadied her when she swayed. "You okay?"

"'M fine," Charlie nodded.

She leaned in for a quick kiss and Miles couldn't resist. But it was no more than the brush of his lips against hers before he was moving towards Danny. "Up, Danny. Come on, get to your feet."

Danny stumbled up. "We on the move again?" he asked.

"Have to be," Miles said.

"Why?" Charlie asked.

"Militia."

Both siblings looked worried. "Are they close?" Danny asked.

"Not that close," Miles assured them. "We'll push into the woods until dawn. Then we can rest again."

Charlie and Danny exchanged glances but shouldered their packs. Miles took them deep into the woods, moving as fast as he could go. Which wasn't very fast due to his lack of sleep. This time he was the one stumbling while Danny and Charlie caught him before he could fall. It irked Miles that he looked so weak in front of them but there was nothing he could do about it at the moment.

When the first weak rays of dawn came creeping through the sky, Miles called a halt at a clearing. "We should be far enough away now." Only he could see it but Ben was nodding along with that statement.

"Does this mean you'll finally rest?" Charlie asked.

Miles tried to turn and snap it her like usual but the move left him dizzy. Danny caught him before he could fall. "Damn it," Miles muttered. "I guess I'm fine isn't going to fly right now, is it?"

"Hell no," Danny stated. "Look, Charlie's right, you should rest. I'll stay up and keep watch if you want." Miles wavered in his arms and Charlie ran to support him.

"We both will," Charlie added.

Miles gave them an assessing look. Just beyond Charlie's shoulder, Ben leaned against a tree. "You should rest little brother," he agreed. "You're safe now. The Militia is nowhere near. And you look like shit."

"Thanks, big brother," Miles slurred. He was already beginning to feel asleep on his feet.

"What was that?" Charlie frowned.

"Nothing," Miles told them. He gave one last look and cleared his throat. "If you hear something _breathe _wrong, you wake me." He put all the force he could into his statement.

"Promise," Charlie said.

Miles nodded and started to nod off. Together Danny and Charlie maneuvered him to the ground. "He is either going to save us or kill us," Danny hissed to his sister.

The last thing Miles heard before passing out completely was Ben's chuckle. "I have full faith in you to do both, little brother.

* * *

**A/N: **I don't know why I keep making Miles hallucinate Ben. Maybe because they need closure on the show. Anyway, here's them taking off for greener pastures. Also, to those who continue to flame my stories. Say whatever you want about me. We both know you secretly like it and that's why you're lashing out. But don't you dare be mean to the lovely people who review my work. I will delete your review. These are nice people and they have done nothing to you. Leave them alone. (I'd disable anonymous reveiws but I have sweet people like Mae who review everything adn I don't want them to miss out) At Algebra specifically, my family is well aware of my proclivities. We have huge orgies every night.


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